BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


-' 


REMARKS  OF  ROBERT  E.  C.  STEARNS, 


ON      THE      LATE 


"  "*  " 


PROFESSOR    JOSEPH     HENRY, 


EFOEE      THE 


California  Academy  at 


MAY    a  Oth,    1878; 

AND 

RESOLUTIONS   OF    THE   ACADEMY, 
June    17th,    1878. 


MEMBERS 'OF  THE  ACADEMY: — Death,  which  hath  all  seasonal 
for  its  own,  has  just  stricken  from  the  roll  of  the  living,  one  of, 
the  illustrious  names  of  the  century,  a  name  eminent  in  intel 
lectual,  especially  scientific  circles,  throughout  the  world.  I 
refer,  of  course,  to  the  late  Prof.  Joseph  Henry,  whose  long 
life  service  to  his  country  and  to  mankind  as  an  educator  and 
scientific  investigator,  and  as  the  organizer  and  head  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  placed  him  naturally,  and  justly,  at 
the  front,  as  the  representative  of  science  and  scientific  thought 
and  culture  in  America — a  position  which  he  filled  because  of 
his  high  attainments,  and  the  conspicuous  nobility  of  his  char 
acter,  with  exceeding  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  manifest  ad 
vantage  of  science  and  his  country.  A  man  of  great,  yet  un 
assuming  excellence,  whosoever  met  him  was  at  once  impressed 
most  favorably,  by  his  quiet  yet  cordial  greeting,  his  dignified, 
yet  genial  welcome.  His  native  breadth  of  mind,  his  wide  read 
ing,  correlated  with  and  refined  by  an  ample  and  generous 
philosophy,  impelled  him,  even  early  in  life,  to  regard  not 


t% 


',  381 


this  or  that  direction  of  study  or  path  of  knowledge,  only,  as 
worth  tlie  pursuing,  but  that  the  simple  text  or  legend, 
"  Knowledge  should  be  pursued  for  its  own  sake,"  should 
stand  as  an  axiom,  resting  upon  the  everlasting  foundation  of 
Truth.  This  made  him  appreciative  of  the  special  study  and 
work  of  others,  and  his  friendly  interest  and  sympathetic 
words,  stimulated  and  inspired  the  student,  to  continued  and 
increased  effort. 

I  will  not  recite  by  title  in  long  enumeration,  the  many  re 
sponsible  positions  he  filled — the  experiments,  investigations 
and  discoveries  he  made,  or  enlarge  upon  the  numerous  IIOD- 
ors  conferred  upon  him  by  the  higher  institutions  of  his  own 
country,  or  repeat  the  tributes  paid  to  his  achievements  by  the 
highest  intellectual  and  governmental  authorities  of  foreign 
lands.  Turning  from  these  well-merited  honors,  acknowledge 
ments  not  less  of  eminent  ability  than  of  scientific  integrity 
and  personal  worth,  we  are  led  to  survey  the  completed  life, 
in  its  rounded  term  of  eighty  years,  as  a  whole, — as  we  would 
view  from  afar,  some  stately  tree  whose  lines  are  full  of  strength 
and  beauty, — and  we  are  curious  to  learn  what  benificent  star 
was  in  the  ascendant,  what  occult  charm,  what  power  of  cir 
cumstance,  nurtured  and  protected,  and  led  him  onward  through 
the  days  of  his  youth,  and  lighted  the  path  for  his  later  years. 
In  turning  to -ills  e&rly  life,  to  the  time  when  he  first  went  forth 
on  its  now  completed  voyage,  we  find  that  he  was  not  born  a 
favorite  of  fortune,  as  that  term  is  usually  understood,  within 
an  environment  of  luxury  and  ease;  but,  if  we  give  a  loftier 
and  better  definition  to  the  phrase,  we  may  well  regard  it  as 
highly  fortunate  for  him  and  for  the  world  that  he  was  born 
with  a  profound  and  abiding  thirst,  an  irrepressible  longing  for 
knowledge,  which  determined  his  destiny  and  moulded  his 
career — which  led  him  upward  and  onward,  though  by  no 
royal  road  devoid  of  labor. 

Had  his  mind  been  colored  at  all  by  avarice,  or  the  desire 
for  wealth,  or,  if  in  his  earlier  years  it  had  received  the  impress 
of  commercial  bias  through  experience  in  trade,  he  might, 
through  his  numerous  and  important  discoveries,  extended  into 
inventions, — especially  in  electricity  in  its  practical  applica 
tion, — have  accumulated  wealth  as  did  others  of  less  knowl 
edge,  who  reaped  in  this  productive  field.  His  fortune  so  far 
as  regards  material  wealth,  was  like  that  of  others, of  nearly  all 


of  the  great;  the  earnest  and  sincere  teachers  and  philosophers, 
who  have  labored  faithfully  and  unselfishly  for  the  cause,  who 
have  sought,  only  with  a  single  mind  in  all  its  strength — for 
the  increase  and  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  men. 

During  the  official  term  of  President  Fillmore,  in  addition  to 
other  numerous  duties,  he  was  appointed  to  the  light-house 
board,  a  most  important  service,  and  his  visit  to  this  coast, 
which  occurred  a  few  years  ago  (September,  1871,)  was  in  con 
nection  with  said  position;  his  presence  at  the  Academy  on  one 
occasion,  during  this  visit,  will  long  be  remembered  by  those 
who  were  present  at  the  time. 

His  life  is  ended,  but  his  memory  will  be  cherished  by  all 
who  knew  him,  and  like  the  usefulness  of  his  labors,  shall 
endure  for  years.  His  career  constitutes  a  monument,  marking 
the  advancement  of  human  thought  and  the  intellectual  pro 
gress  of  the  republic,  in  which  he  was  so  eminent  a  citizen. 


On  motion  duly  seconded,  the  Chair  appointed  a  Special 
Committee  of  three,  consisting  of  Professor  John  LeConte, 
Doctor  A.  Kellogg,  and  Mr.  John  M.  Stillman,  to  which  by 
special  vote  the  Academy  added  the  Chairman,  to  draft  appro 
priate  resolutions  of  appreciation  and  respect,  and  present  the 
same  at  a  future  meeting.  *ANOR«FT  LIBRARY 

REGULAR  MEETING,  JUNE  I?TH,  1878. 

Vice  President  Edwards  in  the  Chair. 

The  Special  Committee  appointed  to  prepare  suitable  Reso 
lutions  expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  this  Academy,  in  rela 
tion  to  the  late  PROFESSOR  JOSEPH  HENRY,  beg  leave  to  submit 
the  folio  wing: 

Whereas,  in  the  death  of  our  distinguished  colleague,  PROFES 
SOR  JOSEPH  HENRY,  LL.  D.,  American  science  has  lost  its  Nestor, 
and  this  Academy  one  of  its  most  honored  members : 

Be  it  Resolved-,  That  in  the  scientific  career  of  PROFESSOR 
HENRY,  we  recognize  the  highest  and  purest  type  of  a  man 
whose  long  life  affords  a  beautiful  commentary  on  the  enno 
bling  influences  of  the  cultivation  of  true  science. 

Resolved,  Second;  That  as  an  original  investigator,  we  recog 
nize  the  distinguished  merit  of  PROFESSOR  HENRY  in  the  follow 
ing  respects,  viz : 

1.     As  being  the   first   to  develop   the  power  of  the  Elec- 


tro  Magnet    as    actuated    by  an  in/<>iixiti/  or  a  quantity  battery. 

2.  As  the  first  to  apply  the  Electro-Magnet  in    the   inven 
tion  of  an  Electro-Magnetic  Telegraph. 

3.  As  the  first  to  invent  a  Machine  to  be  moved  by  Electro- 
Magnetism. 

4.  For  the  application  of  the    Electro-Telegraph    to    fore 
casting  the  "Weather. 

5.  For  the  Plan  of  the  "  Smithsonian  Institution"  for  the 
increase  and  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  men,  and  the  suc 
cessful  development  of  this  Plan  during  an  administration  of 
more  than  thirty  years  as  Scientific  Director  of  this  establish- 
lishment. 

G.  For  the  improvement  of  "  Fog  Signals,"  in  connection 
with  the  United  States  Light-house  Board. 

7.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  our  colleague  made  impor 
tant  investigations  and  discoveries  in  Acoustics,  in  Capillary 
Attraction,  in  Radiant  Heat,  and  in  many  other  departments  of 
physical  science. 

Resolved,  Third;  That  it  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  for  Amer 
ican  science,  that  a  man  of  PROFESSOR  HENRY'S  pure  and  exalted 
character  was  so  long  in  a  position  in  which,  by  the  force  of 
his  earnest  and  uncompromising  determination,  he  saved 
the  "Smithsonian  Fund"  from  diversion  and  absorption  in  a 
Public  Library,  and  from  various  other  schemes,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  devoting  it  to  the  legitimate  objects  of  the  Testa- 
tator,  viz.  "  to  the  increase  and  diffusion  of  knowledge  among 
mankind." 

Hesoh-ed,  Fourth;  That  it  is  equally  fortunate  for  American 
science  that  the  influence  of  the  high  scientific  attainments  no 
less  than  the  rare  personal  qualities  of  our  illustrious  colleague 
at  the  seat  of  government,  has  done  so  much  to  arrest  the  tide 
of  charlatanry  and  superficial  half-knowledge,  which  threatens 
to  overwhelm  our  country. 

Jlexnlre.d,  fifth;  That  a  properly  attested  copy  of  these  Res 
olutions,  be  sent  to  the  honored  widow  of  our  deceased  col 
league. 

JOHN  LECONTE. 
A.  KELLOGG 
J.  M.  STILLMAN. 
R.  E.  C.  STEARNS, 

Of  Special  Committee. 


